What's Right With America?

This is the adjacent thread to the What's Wrong With America? thread that I started about five (5) minutes ago. In the interest of being as fair and balanced as the rest of the so-called commentators, we need to offer a chance to sound-off on what's right with our land.

This Bear lives a good life. Nothing fancy. Have to get up and work like most others.

But everyday I get up, it is in one (1) of the best places to live in the history of the world. The air that I breathe, although sometimes polluted and sometimes censored, is "free". If I want to hang my American flag upside down in protest, I can do so. I get to vote, which is a right not enjoyed much in the history of man.

If I want to go to church, I can choose that church. If I don't want to, not a big deal.
And there is a lot of different flavors of beer to try!

I'm not a "Love It Or leave It" American. I say, "If You Love It, Fix It". In this here USA I can decide to do that.

What is right with America: Toys For Tots. Every year the Marine Reserves collects new and unwrapped toys to distribute to children who otherwise would have less than joyful Christmas. Every year I spend $20 to buy a gift for a boy and one for a girl and put the gifts in the Toys For Tots barrel at my place of work. It makes me feel great. Bet it would make you feel good too.

"I am very good at reading women, but I get into trouble for using the Braille method."

We do have a "Can-do" attitude and are willing to work hard for success. I like the fact that we can sound off in a "What's wrong with America Thread" and not worry about getting into trouble.
I would say having people with extreme viewpoints (especially today) could be bad, but having an argument with a conservative friend kind of makes me proud to be an American. Just the fact that we can discuss our viewpoints, bash the president or his causes, and yes even bash former presidents. We all have different thoughts about how the country should be, but differences also help the country to be great.

Did anyone understand that?

You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone

You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO- HOO what a ride!'"

We are exporters of post-secondary education. We must be doing something right in that area that foreigners come here to go to college. In some countries, if you don't get your degree right out of high school, there really is no going back. In that respect, America truly is the Land of Opportunity: we can decide to go back to college at any time, just because we want to. I think Americans on the whole do not fully appreciate how wonderful that is and how much that breaks down barriers and prevents an excessively entrenched class structure.

We're Blessed!

Generally, I'd say it's our natural resources, the foresight and brilliance of our founding fathers, and the generous, open, and ingenious spirit of the American populus. I do think that we are in a strained period of history where we're strained but it will be those things which will enable us to endure.

A lot of people will say "ohh american culture is McDonalds, Britney Spears, and Hollywood." But this country has great, enduring folk traditions that manifest themselves in ways that people don't even notice. Everything commercial will always be crass but just think jazz, blues, folk, and country (not nashville pop).

The fact that i can walk into a town hall meeting and hear a man telling the mayor that he's "full of s***" and then lecture the council as an expert on the matter is a testament to our independent nature and our contempt for authority. We consider ourselves equal and demand to be treated as such.

It's probably every american's dream to be his own boss - and everyones' struggle to get there is what has produced some of the best innovations the world has seen.

I've always been proud of my roots and being american is a big part of it - but that pride doesn't come from flags or anthems and it certainly doesn't rest in leaders or conquerors. It comes from my families struggles (and everyone like them) and everything they did to get to the states from all corners of Europe and all the crap they put up with when they got here (slaving for the same people they were running from)- its what makes them american.

In short - what's great about this country is its unsung people and practices.

Indeed you can usually tell when the concepts of democracy and citizenship are weakening. There is an increase in the role of charity and in the worship of volunteerism. These represent the élite citizen's imitation of noblesse oblige; that is, of pretending to be aristocrats or oligarchs, as opposed to being citizens.

Independence. We complain about "NIMBYism" and narrow-minded citizen activism, but I prefer it to both blind obedience to officaldom (as easy as that would make our jobs, possibly ) or pure obstruction and ignoring rules, as occurs in some societies.

Lack of a hereditary monarchy or other such nonsence. Sure, they're a symbol of the country and all that, but the whole bowing and scraping and fawning over people like "Diana" and "the Queen" sticks in my republican craw. (On the other hand, why do so many in this society try to elevate pop stars and actors and sports stars to a similar role. Gag me!)

First and foremost, national parks and the wilderness system. Wilderness is where it all starts and the farther from it we get, the more things we will have to put on the Bear Up North's other list. More generally, our commitment to the environment, even though it is so fragile right now.

Second, voluntarism and the non-profit sector: with people expressing their beliefs through action, even if that action is often just a donation. This goes along with the generosity that others have noted. It is kind of uneven these days, but it is part of the heart.

Third, freedom of speech (and other types of expression), another threatened value as the religious right grows in power, but another part of the heart.

Fourth, how hard people will work. I think we work too much toward material ends, but Americans will make the commitment to get things done. The fact that it is sometimes the wrong thing doesn't really depress me too much because it is the energy that counts.

Opportunity...
We have the opportunity to worship as we wish, to be rich if we want, to be educated if we choose to be. Be have the opportunity to choose our leaders and our friends, and if we don’t like them, we have the opportunity do say so. We have the opportunity to make live our life any way that we want, as long as it does not limit the opportunities of others.